Boat starting problem...help please
 

I somehow ended up with my boat I sold last year back in my possession, a 19 foot runabout with a 5.0 liter and a Alpha. I dont want it and I put it up for sale right out of storage.

So yesterday I decide to start it and make sure all is well as I have people intersted in buying.

Turn the key......click.

Change starter, as I have an extra and this has happened before......

Turn key....click.

Change solenoid by the breaker button....

Turn key....click.

Pull the whole ground cable off, and sand both ends and clean it up..

CLICK....

And yes the battery is full and ready....already checked.


Then the nice township asshat comes along and gives me a ticket for having two boats on the property.... :mad:

Anyone have any idea of where to look next. I just need this POS to start...and its sold.

There are often two solenoids, one on the starter and one before. As long as the batt is really good and the starter motor itself is new then its connections or solenoids.

I would check your fuses and pull each one out and check for corrosion, sand down all of them and put them back. Also look for a loose wire or connection under the dash, sometimes one wire will kill the whole boat. Also, pull the electical wire harness that connects to the engines, clean the ends and put it back in.

You might want to clean your terminals on the battery.
The second solenoid is called a slave if you put your hand on it you can feel it clicking then you know its bad.

It is probably something verry simple like a bad connection, nothing broken.

I would put a wrench on the balancer bolt and make sure the engine will rotate. Hopefully this is not a problem but a it's a simple check. I saw an alternator froze up once that would not let an engine spin.
Jerry.

Do you have a neutral safety? Is it engaged?
Reggie Fountain says in his video, that jiggling the shifter
is the first thing to try.

Do you have a kill switch with lanyard?

Battery switch in correct position?

Just a few things that have tripped me up in the past.

Good Luck

Are you sure the battery is good? I can't tell ya' how many times a battery "tested" good but just wasn't putting out the amps. I had to exchange one last week that was less than one year old; shop tested it, shop charged it, shop tested it again...just wasn't working. My dad push started his truck for a week because "the battery tested good" but he didn't have time to change the starter/check solenoid. Changed all the parts, still wouldn't start, before he finally changed the battery...

Thanks for the great ideas guys, I am making a list to take with me Monday when I go to try again.

I am certian the battery is fine, I threw it in my pickup and it started my truck without a problem.

As for the second slave solenoid, I hear it click, thats where the click comes from. Thats why I replaced it to start with. The new replacement does the same thing. So I know power is getting that far, it just doesnt seem to go any further.

I will post back after I try the suggestions you guys gave. Thanks again.

Jumper across the big posts on the slave solenoid with a screwdriver see if it turns over. Clicking is a bad sign regardless of a "new" solenoid.

Alright, I got a chance to look it over. The clicking is still coming from the slave solenoid as it was prior to my replacing it.

Big bolt to big bolt does not cause it to roll over. I have check the main electrical connection and cleaned the pickups. Still nothing.

Motor turns by hand, and there is no lanyard or battery switch to worry about. I jiggled the shifter and even tried it in neutral and some gas. Nothing.

I am at my wits end here. Boat ran great when put away last year, no issues at all. Started right up, now just a click at the slave solenoid.

Anyone have any clue? Buy ya a beer if you can figure it out. Hell, I will buy you a cooler full!